Local baseball community mourns death of Roland-Grise 6th-grader

Published: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 12:43 p.m.

A close-knit community of Wilmington baseball families was rocked Friday evening when a Roland-Grise Middle School sixth-grader died after being hit by a ball during practice at the school.

Alex Newsome, a left-handed pitcher, was throwing at batting practice when he was hit in the head by a line drive around 4 p.m. Newsome, a manager for the middle-school team, was pitching from behind a protective screen, but had leaned slightly outside the net.

Players who are pitching or in the field do not wear helmets, though pitchers at all age levels, including major league players, throw from behind the screen during batting practice.

Coach Michael Titzel and lacrosse coach John Bell performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Bell was with Alex in the ambulance as paramedics rushed him to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. He died there around 9:20 p.m., according to reports.

News of the accident spread quickly among baseball players and their parents, and more than 50 people gathered at the hospital Friday with Alex's coaches and his parents, Garrick and Brandie Newsome.

“There are no words to describe how we felt when we learned he was gone,” said Amy Gaylord, whose son has played with Alex for years.

The school's assistant principal had called the Newsomes once paramedics had taken over at the ball field, Brandie Newsome said Saturday as family members arrived from as far away as Asheville and Florida. “She said he had been hit in the head with the ball and the coaches had resuscitated him on the field,” Newsome said. “We knew it was serious, but we never imagined it wouldn't be OK in the end.”

They waited while a team of doctors, led by neurosurgeon George Huffmon, worked to remove the fluid from Alex's brain. The surgeon, whose son was set to play against Alex's team on Tuesday, cried with the parents.

“All the medical staff were crying,” Newsome said.

Throughout the evening and night, community members posted messages on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #NewsomeStrong; by Saturday, dozens had populated the Twitter feed and a picture of Alex had been retweeted 62 times. His sister, Emily, tweeted, "Thank you everyone for the love and support. I would be nothing without all of this. My brother is my world."

“It was just word of mouth. It's a small community,” said Kevin Gaylord, who coached Alex for three years on the Wilmington Waves travel team. “A lot of people know each other through Winter Park Optimist, and they know Alex and think a lot of him.”

The 11-year-old honor student played on a handful of local teams for years, most through the Winter Park league. Several years ago, he was the first pick in the 10-year-old draft, and made the All-Star team every year he was eligible, according to Mike Smith, a coach and co-commissioner with the league.

He was smart, friendly and courteous, Gaylord said.

“He's just a really special kid, very intelligent, very polite, with great manners for 11-year-old, more than what you typically would see,” he said. “You just never heard a bad thing come out of his mouth. You never heard him bully anybody, talk bad or raise his voice. He was just friends with everybody.”

Multiple teams decided Saturday to cancel their games next week, including the major league at Winter Park Optimist, for which Alex played.

“As an adult, I cannot wrap my head around this, and trying to comfort my 11-year-old son is difficult,” Amy Gaylord said. “Those boys are going to have a hard time taking the baseball field again.”

The University of North Carolina Wilmington held a moment of silence for Alex prior to its baseball game Saturday against Hofstra at Brooks Field. Some players at Hoggard High School approached their coach about being at the Roland-Grise field when the middle school players trek back to the diamond for the first time.

And the high school on Saturday ordered special gold and black jerseys (Roland-Grise school colors) for next week's countywide high school spring break tournament. They will include a tribute to Alex and will be given to the Roland-Grise team at the end of the week.

Impact Church pastor Donnie King will talk about the loss during his Sunday sermon at 10:30 a.m.

“Several of our students and parents are asking questions and trying to make sense of it all,” King said in an email to the Impact and Halo Sports community.

On Saturday, the Newsomes tried to process what was happening to them. “We don't know how we'll move on from this,” Brandie Newsome said. “There's always been the four of us doing everything. I don't know how we'll be just three.”

The New Hanover County school district released a statement informing parents and students that grief counseling would be available for staff members and students throughout next week.

“Staff, coaches, parents, the principal and superintendent of the district were all at the hospital after the accident to offer support to the family, classmates, teachers and friends of Alex,” the statement said. “The district also had social workers available and will continue to offer grief counseling and support for any students and staff who may need it.”

In the meantime, the local baseball community will join together to move forward, as they did at the hospital and online, Smith said.

“As an organization, we're going to get together and figure out what is the best way to go forward. Because you have to go forward,” he said. “It's just a tough, tragic thing. We will get together and take care of each other.”

<p>A close-knit community of Wilmington baseball families was rocked Friday evening when a Roland-Grise Middle School sixth-grader died after being hit by a ball during practice at the school.</p><p>Alex Newsome, a left-handed pitcher, was throwing at batting practice when he was hit in the head by a line drive around 4 p.m. Newsome, a manager for the middle-school team, was pitching from behind a protective screen, but had leaned slightly outside the net.</p><p>Players who are pitching or in the field do not wear helmets, though pitchers at all age levels, including major league players, throw from behind the screen during batting practice.</p><p>Coach Michael Titzel and lacrosse coach John Bell performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Bell was with Alex in the ambulance as paramedics rushed him to <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9969"><b>New Hanover Regional Medical Center</b></a>. He died there around 9:20 p.m., according to reports.</p><p>News of the accident spread quickly among baseball players and their parents, and more than 50 people gathered at the hospital Friday with Alex's coaches and his parents, Garrick and Brandie Newsome. </p><p>“There are no words to describe how we felt when we learned he was gone,” said Amy Gaylord, whose son has played with Alex for years. </p><p>The school's assistant principal had called the Newsomes once paramedics had taken over at the ball field, Brandie Newsome said Saturday as family members arrived from as far away as Asheville and Florida. “She said he had been hit in the head with the ball and the coaches had resuscitated him on the field,” Newsome said. “We knew it was serious, but we never imagined it wouldn't be OK in the end.” </p><p>They waited while a team of doctors, led by neurosurgeon George Huffmon, worked to remove the fluid from Alex's brain. The surgeon, whose son was set to play against Alex's team on Tuesday, cried with the parents. </p><p>“All the medical staff were crying,” Newsome said. </p><p>Throughout the evening and night, community members posted messages on <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/facebook"><b>Facebook</b></a> and <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a> using the hashtag #NewsomeStrong; by Saturday, dozens had populated the Twitter feed and a picture of Alex had been retweeted 62 times. His sister, Emily, tweeted, "Thank you everyone for the love and support. I would be nothing without all of this. My brother is my world."</p><p>“It was just word of mouth. It's a small community,” said Kevin Gaylord, who coached Alex for three years on the Wilmington Waves travel team. “A lot of people know each other through Winter Park Optimist, and they know Alex and think a lot of him.”</p><p>The 11-year-old honor student played on a handful of local teams for years, most through the Winter Park league. Several years ago, he was the first pick in the 10-year-old draft, and made the All-Star team every year he was eligible, according to Mike Smith, a coach and co-commissioner with the league. </p><p>He was smart, friendly and courteous, Gaylord said.</p><p>“He's just a really special kid, very intelligent, very polite, with great manners for 11-year-old, more than what you typically would see,” he said. “You just never heard a bad thing come out of his mouth. You never heard him bully anybody, talk bad or raise his voice. He was just friends with everybody.”</p><p>Multiple teams decided Saturday to cancel their games next week, including the major league at Winter Park Optimist, for which Alex played.</p><p>“As an adult, I cannot wrap my head around this, and trying to comfort my 11-year-old son is difficult,” Amy Gaylord said. “Those boys are going to have a hard time taking the baseball field again.” </p><p>The University of North Carolina Wilmington held a moment of silence for Alex prior to its baseball game Saturday against Hofstra at Brooks Field. Some players at Hoggard High School approached their coach about being at the Roland-Grise field when the middle school players trek back to the diamond for the first time. </p><p>And the high school on Saturday ordered special gold and black jerseys (Roland-Grise school colors) for next week's countywide high school spring break tournament. They will include a tribute to Alex and will be given to the Roland-Grise team at the end of the week. </p><p>Impact Church pastor Donnie King will talk about the loss during his Sunday sermon at 10:30 a.m.</p><p>“Several of our students and parents are asking questions and trying to make sense of it all,” King said in an email to the Impact and Halo Sports community. </p><p>On Saturday, the Newsomes tried to process what was happening to them. “We don't know how we'll move on from this,” Brandie Newsome said. “There's always been the four of us doing everything. I don't know how we'll be just three.”</p><p>The New Hanover County school district released a statement informing parents and students that grief counseling would be available for staff members and students throughout next week.</p><p>“Staff, coaches, parents, the principal and superintendent of the district were all at the hospital after the accident to offer support to the family, classmates, teachers and friends of Alex,” the statement said. “The district also had social workers available and will continue to offer grief counseling and support for any students and staff who may need it.”</p><p>In the meantime, the local baseball community will join together to move forward, as they did at the hospital and online, Smith said.</p><p>“As an organization, we're going to get together and figure out what is the best way to go forward. Because you have to go forward,” he said. “It's just a tough, tragic thing. We will get together and take care of each other.”</p><p><i></p><p>Executive editor Pam Sander contributed to this report.</i></p><p>Kate Elizabeth Queram: 343-2217</p><p>On Twitter: @kate_goes_bleu</p>